RECIPES: Recipe Details

Texas Tailgate Burgers

Pretty much any given Saturday in any given town in America, in the fall, you will find tailgate parties. We go down to the stadium where there are blocks and blocks of tailgaters for UT home games, or do a home "tailgate" for away games with friends. A good tailgate REQUIRES a great tailgate burger.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
To make the patties, combine the chuck, jalapenos, salt, pepper and chili powder in a large bowl, handling as little as possible. Shape into 6 patties to fit the bun size. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
To prepare the BBQ cheese, simply mix all ingredients together and set aside â€“ do not refrigerate (you will be using them shortly and you don't want them to be really cold)
When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. In the last 3 minutes of grilling, carefully place equal amounts of the BBQ cheese topping on each patty. Place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
To assemble the burgers, place an equal layer of BBQ kettle chips on each the bottom bun. Add a cheese-topped patty on top, followed by a layer of pickles, and an equal amount of lettuce. Add the bun tops and serve.